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Les Halles is a frozen world. Only a narrow strip of land around the equator is free of ice, while the rest of the world is covered in glaciers. The soil is filled with rocks and clearing land for agriculture is expensive. Between the lack of soil and low temperature, agriculture plays almost no part in Les Halles' economy.[1]

Les Halles was only settled because of its location. Strategically located between the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation, Les Halles has become a waystation and transshipment point for all sorts of cargo shipments. Though the League and SAFE tried to keep an eye on the trade, illegal goods and services proliferated on the world. Nearly anything was available for purchase on the black market.[1] The economy of Les Halles was based around the service industries, specifically maintenance for DropShips and small craft. Les Halles also produced spacecraft fuel as its primary heavy industry.

To protect themselves from the weather, the permanent population resided in underground housing. These structures were similar to ancient Roman homes in that they were typically a series of rooms built around an atrium. Whole towns were built the same way, with residential and commercial buildings surrounding a central courtyard equipped with skylights.[1]

During the brief tenure of James Marik as Captain-General of the Free Worlds League from 2880 to 2882 the Capellan Confederation launched an attempted invasion of Les Halles. The invasion was successfully repelled, in no small part because of the actions of DukeRobin Halas, the commanding officer of the Fusiliers of Oriente; James acknowledged Duke Halas' outstanding efforts in the defense of Les Halles by awarding him with a substantial land grant on the southern continent, lands that would remain in the hands of the Halas family until at least as late as the thirty-first century.[29]

Capellan raiders attacked Les Halles in 3039. During the fighting, an assault company of the Fifth Marik Militia was cut off from their battalion and surrounded by two companies of Confederation BattleMechs. When the Capellan commander issued a verbose request for the Militia's surrender, the commander of the Militia unit, CaptainHubert Glass, issued a response. He opened up his cockpit, stood on top of his command couch, and gave a universally recognized rude gesture with his hand. Almost on cue, the remaining mechs of the Marik Company attacked their adversaries. Captain Glass then calmly returned to the cockpit of his Stalker and then joined in the assault. In the end, the two companies of Capellan machines were completely destroyed with only the loss of five machines on the Marik side. The fighting was so fierce that the Capellan commander was unable to fire upon Glass' mech in response to his gesture.[30]